HISTORY OF EUROPE. |. 
in the morning of the thirteenth of 
May, several divisions of the French 
approached the bridge of Borghetto, 
by which Buonaparte proposed to 
effeét a passage over the Mincio, and 
surround Beaulieu’s army. ‘The 
Austrians made the utmost efforts to 
defend the bridge; but the French 
crossed it after a warm action: the 
_ Austrian general perceiving their in- 
tent, withdrew in haste from his 
osition at Peschiera, and retired 
with the utmost expedition to the 
river Adige, which, having passed, 
| he broke down all the bridges, to 
prevent the French from pursuing 
him. By these means he secured 
his retreat to the Tyrol, the only 
place of safety now remaining to 
him. 
_ Buonaparte might now consider 
himself as the undisputed master of 
ftaly. He was so much viewed in 
_that light by the senate of Venice, 
even previously to his passage of the 
Mincio, and the defeat of Beaulieu, 
that, foreseeing the danger of ap- 
| pearing too well» inclined to the 
house of Bourbon, they had warned 
out] of their territories the unfor- 
tunate brother of the late king of 
France, who had, on the death 
of his nephew, son to that monarch, 
assumed the name of Lewis the 
éighteenth, together with the royal 
title. 
The circumstances of his dismis- 
sion did the Venetians no credit : 
-on that prince’s demanding the 
sword, formerly presented to~-the 
. by bisancestor, the celebrated 
Henry the fourth of France, as a 
token of his regard, they refused to 
Pestore it, on pretext that.alarge sum 
of money, due from him to the state, 
had never been discharged. 
Buonaparte took possession, on 
| the third of June, of the city of 
[99 
Verona, the late residence of the 
French prince. He now determined 
to lay siege to Mantua, the only 
place of strength and importance 
left to the emperor in Italy. The 
reduction of this fortress would effec- 
tually putan end to the influence 
of the court of Vienna, and transfer 
to France the power and credit 
exercised by the emperor in all the 
affairs of Italy. 
This was a deprivation to which 
the head of the house of Austria 
could not bear the idea of submit- 
ting, and every effort was resolved 
upon to prevent it. The ill success 
of Beaulieu had been such, that it 
was determined, at Vienna, to sub- 
stitute another commander in his 
room. Marshal Wurmser,‘a veteran 
general in high esteem, was ap- 
pointed to succeed him, though he 
had himself experienced several de- 
feats by the French. 
In hope of reducing Mantua he- 
fore succours could arrive, Buona- 
parte determined to lay immediate 
siege to it. On the fourth of June 
it was invested by the French, who 
droye the out-posts into the town, 
which was now closely surrounded 
on every side. 
But the want of artillery pre- 
vented him from doing any more 
than blockading it- He had formed 
hopes of reducing that city by other 
means than a formal siege ; which 
were to cut off all succours from 
Germany, and all provisions from 
its neighbourhood. 
In order to effeét the first of these 
purposes, he resolved to carry the 
war into the imperial dominions in 
Germany, and to invade the Tyrol 
itself. This was doubtless a very 
bold and hazardous attempt: the 
natives of that difficult and moune 
tainous country being not oply a 
2 resolute 
